Aid to fight AIDS

KATHMANDU: The United Nations Development Programme signed $ 4.9 million ‘Phase Two’ agreement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) as the second principle recipient. The National Centre for AIDS and STI Control signed $ 2.3 million Individual Agreement with GFATM as first principle recipient, stated a press release issued by UNDP on Friday. In addition, UNDP will procure Drugs and Commodities, including Anti Retro Viral (ARVs) for 2007-2008. — HNS

Fire in Dabur godown

BARA: Fire broke out in a store room of Dabur Nepal Private Ltd in the Birgunj-Pathlaiya Industrial corridor in Parsa on Thursday. An electric short-circuit caused the fire in the godown, Parsa SSP Ganga Pandey said. The damages would be ascertained after a probe, sources said. — HNS

One abducted

SIRAHA: Activists of the Jwala Singh-led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) abducted a former activist of the Nepali Congress from Maheshpur-9 in Siraha on Thursday. The JTMM activists abducted Anirudra KC, 50, of Maheshpur-9 on charges of corruption, JTMM’s Siraha in-charge Tufan Singh ‘Bidhrohi’ told this daily over telephone on Friday. — HNS

Abductees freed

GAIGHAT: Two technical assistants, Devendra Hamal and Narayan Mall of Okhaldhunga VDC office in Udaypur district, abducted by cadres of the Jwala Singh-led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha on Saturday, were freed on Thursday. “The kidnappers demanded a huge amount of money from us,” the abductees said. — HNS

Meet on sanitation

Kathmandu: Experts on urban development on Friday discussed the need of an urban development ministry for the development of the country’s cities. “We need an urban development ministry to stop the haphazard urban development and to manage the growth of urban population,” Purna Karadirya, the joint secretary at the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works told a workshop on urban sanitation. — HNS